Disaster relief available following WNY storms

Author:
Matt Smith

Source:
NYSUT Communications

Caption: Wendy Hudson, left, a teacher in West Seneca, talks about how fast the flood waters and ice came the evening of the flood with Lee Cutler, NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer. Hudson told Cutler that it only took 20 minutes for the water to flood her entire house. Photo by Dennis Stierer.

NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer Lee Cutler recently surveyed the damage caused by severe flooding that hit the Buffalo suburb of West Seneca.

Some 70 homes sustained heavy damage when the Buffalo Creek began flooding the evening of Jan. 11 after water from the creed backed up through storm sewers, the Buffalo News reported. At its peak, the flood filled the streets with as much as five feet of water.

Though spanning a significantly smaller area, Cutler said the damage he witnessed was as extensive as the damage suffered by homeowners affected by larger storms such as Irene and Sandy. Cutler toured the damage with West Seneca Teachers Association President Joe Cantafio.

State officials have been in West Seneca helping affected homeowners and businesses with insurance-related issues. NYSUT Vice President Kathleen Donahue, who oversees the union’s Disaster Relief Fund with Cutler, said members who sustained damage can apply for help through the fund.